Dancing in the Ring
by loveanchorsme
Summary: Bella is a top notch boxing coach. Edward wants to be the new champion. Can love really conquer all despite the trauma both of them have encountered? Step into the ring and find out for yourselves where both Edward and Bella will have to push aside the memories that haunt them in order to come out on top. AN: Stephenie's characters not my own but I love to play with them!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm actually really excited about this story and I can't wait to post the second chapter! Let me know your thoughts you lovely readers out there!**

96..97..98..99..100. "Bella!" Jacob called from the front of the warehouse waving his hands around frantically at me. I smiled and draped the jumping rope around my neck before ducking underneath the ropes surrounding the ring.

"Listen, I think I've found the perfect guy for you to train" Jake said which made me roll my eyes as I dried off my sweat with the nearby towel. Shaking my head I pushed him aside and made my way to my office "I told you I don't coach anymore, why do you have to keep pushing this?"

I asked half annoyed and the other half curious. "I know you haven't coached anyone in 3 years but I think it'll help you get out of this funk that you've been in ever since.." I held up my hand to stop him from saying the words and closed my eyes to keep myself from tearing up "Please don't bring it up, I'm still not over it and you know this, so if you love me as much as I know you do you will let this go and not bring it up again"

Jake sighed loudly but nodded "Fine Bella whatever you want but until you work through this, life isn't going to get any easier" I looked into Jake's warm and inviting brown eyes and walked right into his awaiting arms "Thanks for always having my back, you're always there when I need you most" Jake rubbed soothing circles on my back and whispered softly "Don't even mention it"

After a few seconds I finally pulled away and tried to regain my composure "I've got to straighten things up in here before I lock up but I'll see you later" and Jake took that as his sign to leave. With a wave and a smile he shut the warehouse door behind him and left me alone to my thoughts. Jake was wonderful, we had been friends since elementary school and growing up with him had been like growing up with my own personal ray of sunshine with his positivity and caring heart.

He was always ready to get into all kinds of mischief with me but never failed to protect me every step of the way. We did practically everything together, he was my best friend. He knew when I needed a kick in the butt to get me in gear and he even knew when it was best to just leave me to my jumbled thoughts.

I took the jump rope that had fallen to the ground when I'd hugged Jake and placed it back on the rack near the lifting weights that hung in a perfect row. Scanning the room quickly for any misplaced items brought me back to the past, a past where Dylan and I were in blissful ignorance:

 _Flashback:_

 _"Dylan you aren't fighting fairly!" I squealed while laughing, his butt was currently pressed up against the front of my body and he began shaking it again once my laughter started to subside. I was stuck between Dylan's bodacious bum and the ring's ropes "What are you talking about Bella!? This is how all the boxers fight now, get with the program babe" he said as he threw his head back to laugh with me._

 _"Stop! Stop! I'm going to pee my pants" I shrieked trying to contain my bladder and Dylan's shimmying derriere. Grabbing his sides I tried to pry his butt away from me but it was no use Dylan's hips definitely didn't lie and when he went into Shakira mode there was nothing you could do to stop him!_

 _After a few more minutes the song on the radio ended and I came face to face with the most beautiful pair of grey eyes and the loveliest crooked smile, with his hands framing my face he pulled me closer and leaned his head down brushing his lips against mine, softly at first but then growing in intensity once my hands found their way into his messy blonde locks._

 _Dylan's hands snaked down from face and around my waist, lifting me up so that my legs could wrap around his hips as we continued to kiss. When it became too much for us to breathe he rested his forehead against mine and whispered "I love you more than anything" and with a gentle kiss on my nose he placed me back down onto the mat that we had placed inside the boxing ring to practice on._

 _End Flashback:_

My cell phone ringing startled me out of my memories and I noticed it was Alice calling me, probably wondering if I had forgotten all about game night at her parents house. I let it go to voicemail and planned to call her once I got back to my car. With the keys to the place in hand I looked longingly at the boxing ring one more time before flicking the light switch off and pulling the door closed behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Will probably have up the next chapter by the end of this week. Leave me comments below! :)**

I hummed to myself as I prepared my sausage and american cheese omelette. It was Saturday and Saturday's were always crazy at the warehouse, which meant that I needed to open shop by 7:00 a.m. Taz; my beloved Shiba Inu circled my legs hoping that I'd be reckless and drop him a couple scraps of food before his actual meal and if there was anything that I couldn't resist it was Taz's precious puppy dog eyes.

I dropped a few pieces of sausage by his paws and smiled as his tail wagged in excitement. It felt like such an off day for me despite the wonderful time I had had playing poker with Alice and her family the previous night.

I felt queasy in the pit of my stomach and I had no idea why. It was the sort of feeling you'd get when you had an inkling that something drastic would be coming your way. After eating my omelette and letting Taz out for a potty break, I grabbed my keys and drove out to Mo Chuisle. Mo Chuisle was my boxing studio; a gift from Dylan for our first wedding anniversary.

 _Flashback:_

 _"Where are you taking me?" I asked, squeezing the armrest in Dylan's car as I felt my body lean to the left. "I told you it's a surprise!" "I don't like surprises mister" I said with a giggle because that was an outright lie. I felt Dylan's hand reach over to hold mine and instantly smiled widely._

 _I adored when he held my hand in the car. It was a tradition we had started 2 years back when we had only just started dating. "Can I take the blindfold off now?" I whined childishly and heard him laugh._

 _Finally after what felt like hours we arrived at our destination. Dylan opened the driver's door and then came around to help me get out of the car. I wrapped my arms around one of his biceps and followed him blindly. "Okay I'm going to take off the blindfold now, but be careful because the light is going to be excruciatingly bright" I nodded as he untied the scarf from my head and blinked down at the ground once it was off in order to adjust my eyes to the light. Lifting my eyes I saw a large concrete building covered in abstract murals._

 _If I didn't know any better I would have thought it were graffiti but the murals were vibrant against the gray concrete, each piece telling another story to the viewer and instantly I knew that this was Alice's handiwork. Alice was an incredible artist and she had even managed to sell multiple pieces of her artwork at several gallery showings._

 _"It's beautiful Dylan. Thank you, I love it" Dylan smiled down at me in a way that made his nose crinkle up, before saying "Bella the murals are not your surprise. This whole building is your surprise!" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Dylan let go of my hand to remove the tarp that was hanging above the front door of the building._

 _Mo Chuisle it said in crisp black font and in red a pair of boxing gloves dangled from the letter U. Mo Chuisle was Irish for "my pulse/heart" and it was the same word that Dylan had had engraved into my wedding ring as a way to express his love for me. My eyes began to sting and I shook my head in astonishment._

 _"Bella, I've never been more happy in my entire life than these past few years with you. I wanted to do something special for our wedding anniversary and since boxing brought us together in the first place I wanted you to have your own studio so that you can train your clients in your own space. I wanted you to constantly be reminded that my love for you is undying and that together we can overcome any challenges that we may face"_

 _I ran to Dylan's awaiting arms and cried in his shirt out of happiness and most of all love. Love for the man who surprised me daily with his constant devotion for our relationship. As he kissed the top of my head all I could do to express my gratitude was chant "Thank you" into his now soaked shirt._

 _End Flashback:_

I expected to be the first one at Mo Chuisle but when I arrived Rose was leaned up against the wall smoking a cigarette. "I thought you quit" I said as I went to unlock the door. Rose snorted and put out the stub before following me into the studio "I did but nicotine has me by my nonexistent balls" laughing as I turned on the lights I said "They don't call it an addiction for nothing, you know"

Rose flipped me off as she walked off to change in the staff locker rooms that were separate from the client's. Dylan had thought of everything when he had renovated the place. Mo Chuisle housed two full sized boxing rings, locker rooms for both clients and staff, areas for lifting weights and cardio, two private rooms for training elite clients, two offices, and even a small area used as a protein bar.

Most of the clients who came were usually athletes who wanted to stay in shape without the hassle of a crowded gym atmosphere but sometimes they were used for specialized training when coaches had boxers and professional fighters who wanted to get in shape for upcoming matches.

The front door creaked and a burly figure walked in. He was 6'2, with wide-set toned shoulders, arms that looked like they could crush you if they were wrapped around you and two tree trunks for legs. "Emmett!" I yelled with a huge smile on my face, he shot a dimpled smile towards me before wrapping me up in one of his bear hugs. Emmett was Dylan's brother and even though they looked nothing alike their personalities were so similar it was uncanny.

"Hiya Bella, did my ice queen get in yet?" I laughed at his nickname for Rose but nodded and pointed towards the lockers "Yes, she's just getting changed" Emmett's eyes lit up like a kid on christmas and then he grinned "Uh, I'll go see if she needs any help" and with a salute, he scurried to the lockers and left me to finish straightening up my office. Rose, Alice, and I had been friends since we were in middle school.

Rose was married to Emmett and had been for about 5 years now. They were both the reason why Dylan and I had met and fallen in love. Emmett was a personal trainer and Rose worked on making sure all the machines that we had were running in perfect shape. Mo Chuisle would never have been a success had it not been for their help.

So I never really minded much if Emmett and Rose got a tad bit comfy before clients arrived, after all I remember that Dylan and I hadn't thought twice about getting frisky a few times ourselves. In fact it was memories like those that reminded me how perfectly pure our love had been and the emotions that raged through my body forced me to sit down.

The ache in my heart still lingered and I knew the only way to alleviate some of the pain for the time being was to get some work done. By 11:00 a.m we had already had 70 clients come in and out, Saturday's were perfect for business and making me block out the past.

I was currently sparring with Jasper, he was an MMA fighter and Alice's long time boyfriend, his mop of curly blonde hair bounced around as he flitted from side to side in the ring and it made me drop my guard and giggle, which led him to get in a good shot to my ribcage. "Eyes on the prize Bella!" Jasper said, teasing me with my own motto. I rolled my eyes and motioned for him to bring it on but Jasper was no longer looking at me but rather at something or someone behind me.

"Who is that?" Jasper asked and I turned around to see who he was talking about. It was a man about 6 feet tall with a wild array of bronze colored hair. He looked to be slender but fairly toned and he was walking right towards me "Are you the owner? Bella?" I nodded and crouched underneath the ropes to talk to him face to face.

While removing my gloves I was able to study his face a little longer, he had decadent emerald green eyes, a jawline sharp enough to shave my legs, and perfectly pink pouty lips that for a moment made me wonder what they would feel like against mine. "What can I do you for?" "I spoke to Jacob about you possibly coaching me. Everyone says you are the best in state and I knew that If I ever decided to pursue my dream of professional boxing that I would go to you"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed "Listen, Jacob came to me yesterday and I told him that I wasn't interested. I apologize that he didn't relay the proper message to you, sometimes his thick skull gets in the way. I appreciate you coming down and the compliment you gave me regarding my coaching skills but I haven't coached in years and it's just not something that I really would like to be involved in again."

His brows furrowed at my words and he looked as if he was about to explain himself to me but I cut him off quickly with my final words "However, you are more than welcome to use this facility as a practice location with the coach who decides to take you on, but trust me that coach won't be me, so I apologize once again"

The man nodded and started to turn around and walk back to the front door but before he left, his green eyes pierced my soul one more time as he said "Thank you but I will only train with you. Have a lovely day Bella" and with that he sauntered out the door. "Who was that?" Jasper repeated as he walked up to me. Bewildered, I shrugged my shoulders and simply replied "I have no idea"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you so much for the lovely comments, they fuel me to add more to this story! Leave me some love below!**

"Okay, what the hell do you think you are doing?" I asked Edward, my hands placed firmly on my hips. It was Wednesday and Edward had shown up every single day to the studio. Alone. With no-one to coach him! Every stinking day he would watch as I sparred with Jasper or gave other athletes tips on improving their stances or jabs in the ring and every freaking day those intoxicating green eyes followed me.

After he had left on Saturday I had made sure to call Jacob and rip into him about leading the poor kid on and lying to him but all Jake said in reaction to my long drawn out speech was "Give it a shot Bella, he's a hard-working guy" and I was too annoyed to listen to anything else he had to say so I had hung up on him.

So today when I saw Edward glancing behind him and at me from the punching bags I decided to ask him what his fucking problem was. He shifted his body a little closer to the punching bag after he heard me snarl my question at him, probably because I was fuming with anger and he had heard me flip out on a shady client earlier in the week for not paying his weekly fee and I'm guessing it hadn't been a pretty sight.

I mean the guy left with $150 short in his pocket and a black eye but at least it got the point across to everyone that I meant business and wouldn't let anyone walk all over my studio or myself. "Edward! Answer me!" I snapped viciously and in an instant his green eyes were on my face, they were scrunched up in worry and he mumbled back "I'm just practicing, is that wrong?" I sighed softly and shook my head "No, it's not wrong but I told you that you could come here with a coach that decides to take you on as one of their fighters.

You on the other hand have decided to come here each day since Saturday and just stalk me, it's creeping me out. Not to mention that the way you are punching that bag is incorrect and you are probably going to break your wrist if you use it like that in an actual fight." Edward's gaze dropped to the ground and he began to fidget with the straps on his gloves "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invade your space and creep you out but I don't want anyone else to train me but you.

So I figured if you won't train me I could just see how you interact with the other athletes and try to train myself." Edward peered up at me from under thick dark lashes and for a moment I forgot how to breathe, those green eyes had my resolve wavering "Why does it have to be me?" I pleaded with him. He took one step towards me, hand extended as if he was about to grab mine but then let it drop to his side once he saw me flinch away from his touch "It has to be you because I can see the pain in your eyes and I think together, as a team we can both find some kind of peace in this cruel world"

I shook my head in disbelief and stared down at the pink laces of my pumas. How could he have seen right through me, so easily? Without even knowing the story behind my pain. I sighed and placed a determined look on my face "Okay, I'm not promising anything but tomorrow if you come around 8:00 a.m we can get in the ring and you can show me what I might be working with." A breathtaking smile crossed Edward's glorious face and it felt like all the wind had been pummeled out of me. "Thank you so much, Bella! I promise I won't let you down" I smiled half-heartedly and turned to walk back to my office, all the while thinking it wasn't him I was worried about.

Could I get past the nightmares that haunted me everyday and train someone again? Could I fully invest my time and energy in something that I was terrified to even think about? I had no answer to give myself but what I did have was a newfound feeling in the pit of my stomach, something that I hadn't felt in years...hope. Maybe Dylan was watching over me and had guided Edward to help me through this tough period of time in my life. Then again maybe I shouldn't get involved, shouldn't get attached to another human being. Maybe this was a mistake and maybe I'd lose Edward just as I'd lost Dylan…

After speaking to Edward the rest of my day went by in a hazy blur, I spent the better part of my day at Mo Chuisle's camped out in my office, praying that no one would come in to disturb me at a time when I felt as if my life was once again crumbling in on itself. When Jasper came in to ask me if something was wrong, I mumbled a soft "I'm fine" but it was like I had completely lost the ability to function properly.

The drive back home after closing wasn't any better either. I felt like a zombie like I wasn't in control of my own body. All my past fears and regrets spilled into my mind and the more that I tried to organize my thoughts, the deeper I fell into the blackness that was my anxiety. I was terrified, terrified that I could be the reason that yet another person was lost to the world. Horrified to let a stranger trust and depend on me, when I no longer even trusted or depended on myself.

At home I didn't bother eating or showering. I fed Taz and let him outside before dragging myself up the stairs and to my bed. In bed I felt the crippling fear of my depression clawing at my insides, wanting to consume me whole but I knew I had to get a grip or I'd lose myself entirely. I grabbed the nearest book on my bedside table and tried my hardest to drown out my demons.

At some point late in the night I had managed to finally fall asleep but even my dreams refused to give me peace...August the 8th, rain falling like sheets and pelting the roof of my car. The roads were slippery and thick fog consumed the pavement in front of me. I was rushing. Speeding to tell him. Dylan would already be there. Then the screeching of tires that weren't mine...The sight of a body on the concrete. Then the blood, thick and bright red, its sickening rustic smell. Then screaming and screaming turned to crying and crying turned to cradling Dylan in my arms! I jolted up in my bed panting and gasping for air. The bed sheets were tangled around my legs and I felt clammy.

It didn't matter how many times I'd had the dream it never failed to shake me to my core and rip my heart into shreds. I silently begged for Dylan to be there to comfort me, but Dylan wouldn't be coming back and with a choked up sob I clutched his t-shirt closer to me. It was the last one he had worn, the faintest smell of fresh flowers and his cologne still lingered and reminded me of a time when I'd taken life for granted. I pressed my nose into the material and inhaled deeply wishing with all my heart that I could spend one more minute with him, wrapped up in his arms but no amount of wishing could bring him back. More sobs wrecked through my body and eventually exhausted by my crying I fell back into a dreamless slumber.

My alarm went off at 7:00 a.m and my throat felt strained from the previous nights crying. If it weren't for Taz clawing at my bedroom door I would've hit the snooze button and slept for another few years. I sat up, slipping my feet into my fuzzy duck slippers and padded over to let Taz in "Hi baby!" I cooed at his little face and grabbed him in my arms. He shimmed around and licked my face happily, bless his heart it was like he knew I was craving some love and attention "Did you sleep well?"

I continued on babbling to him as I went down the stairs with him still in my arms. Placing him outside to potty I began to prepare his breakfast and I battled with myself on whether or not to take a shower. I decided I would in hopes that it would help my body relax a bit. After the shower I got dressed and stared at myself in the mirror I looked like crap, not even the moderately pulled together crap either.

My eyes were puffy and had bags underneath them, my brown hair was limp and my face was paler than ever. I looked like I was a corpse. I didn't feel like putting makeup on because I didn't want it to sweat off during the workout with Edward but I felt like I needed to somewhat improve my appearance so I applied some blush and mascara and called it a day. I grabbed a banana and a water bottle and headed for the studio by 7:30.

I figured Edward would be a little late so then I could get a few minutes to myself to reign in my thoughts and warm up a bit but when I pulled into my parking spot Edward was already there with his gear in hand. Urgh this was going to be one long morning. I stepped out and Edward waved at me cheerfully "Morning Bella, sleep well?!" Christ! He was a morning person! If this was Dylan's way of watching over me I was not overly thrilled at the moment. I walked past Edward to unlock the door and said "Let's do this thing" motioning for him to follow me.


End file.
